Khalil al-Haya, the acting head of Hamas, said that if the war in Gaza does not stop, there will be no exchange of hostages with Israel. He said this in an interview given to Al-Aqsa television on Wednesday (November 20). British news agency Reuters reported this.
Al-Haya said there can be no talks on hostage release unless the war stops. If the Israeli aggression does not end, Hamas has no reason to return the prisoners. Because no one abandons his mighty weapon during the war.
Ceasefire talks in Gaza have virtually stalled. The United States vetoed a proposal for an unconditional and permanent ceasefire raised at the United Nations on Wednesday. The US representative also said he would not support any resolution that did not include the release of Israeli hostages.
Blaming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the deadlock in talks, Al-Haya said it was important to prove Israel's real will to move forward with ceasefire talks. But the reality is that Netanyahu is failing to make the talks fruitful.
Meanwhile, Qatar, the country mediating the ceasefire talks, has announced that it will not make any efforts for the time being. They claim that if both Hamas and Israel are not sincere enough, they will no longer come to mediation.
A Qatari spokesman said the political office of Hamas in Doha was still operational. However, the United States has requested Qatar to close the office.
Egypt has proposed that Hamas and Fatah form an administrative committee to share administrative responsibilities in Gaza. However, no final decision has been made on this yet.
Netanyahu visited Gaza on Tuesday. There, he claimed, Hamas would never be able to rule Gaza again.
He also said that Israel is still trying to free 101 hostages held in Gaza. He announced a reward of 5 million dollars per person for their release.
The attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 is being marked as the bloodiest day in its history. Israel has been claiming that 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 people were kidnapped in that attack.
The Israeli offensive that began in response to that attack has reduced Gaza to near ruins. According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, about 44,000 people have been killed and 1,300,898 injured in the military offensive so far. Severe food, water and fuel shortages have further complicated the situation.
